Looking at Plants

Lagerstroemia indica ‘Cordon Bleu’

COMMON NAMES

Cordon Bleu Crape Myrtle

Lagerstroemia (lay-gur-STREE-mee-uh) – named for Swedish merchant Magnus von Lagerström (1691-1759) by his friend Linnaeus

indica (IN-dih-kuh) – of India; or more generally, of the region

‘Cordon Bleu’ – cultivar name; parentage from unnamed seedlings Plant Patent #04256; by David Chopin

OTHER NAMES/SYNONYMS

Lagerstroemia indica ‘Louisa’

Note: There is some confusion with this cultivar. The original patent describes this plant as a dwarf growing to a height of 9 to 20 inches. I have seen this plant labeled as ‘Cordon Bleu’ and growing in the range of 3 to 4 feet. Perhaps the dwarfness has become a little unstable over time or there is some mislabeling.

GROUP 

Dicot

FAMILY 

Lythraceae

ORIGIN

Louisiana

DESCRIPTION

Cordon Bleu Crape Myrtle is a perennial shrub that averages 3 to 4 feet in height with a comparable spread. It is multi-stemmed with an upright though broader spreading shape. It has a slow to moderate growth rate.

Leaves are deciduous, sometimes alternate/opposite and whorled in arrangement, 2 to 2 1/4 inches long and ¾ to 1 inch wide, elliptic to oblong in shape, simple with entire margins, and dark green in color above and paler green below. In the fall, the leaves will turn orange or red. It has pinnate veins.

The flower petals are ruffled or crinkly (hence, the common name from crepe paper) and violet-purple in color. Florets are borne in clusters at the branch tips which tend to arch more than some others. It blooms from midspring to summer.

Fruit are small, round capsules that are dark brown to black, ¼ to ½ inch in diameter, and 6-parted. They contain disk-shaped seeds.

HARDINESS

It is hardy in USDA Zones 7 to 10.

LIGHT

Full sun for best flowering and density.

SALT

Moderate Salt Spray Tolerance – it will tolerate some spray, but it is best to have more protection such as a fence or building as an additional barrier behind the first row of plantings or the first dunes.

SOIL

It will grow on a wide variety of well-drained soils, preferring an evenly moist soil in the pH range of 5.5 to 7.0.

WATERING

It has good drought tolerance once established, so minimal watering is needed for survival in dry spells. It will look better and flower more with irrigation in dry spells.

PROPAGATION

Semi-hardwood cuttings in the fall; hardwood cuttings in winter; seed – but it won’t come true to variety.

PRUNING

Prune as needed to desired shape, though it appears to require less pruning than others.

FERTILIZING

It has no special fertilizer needs. Unless a soil test suggests otherwise, a slow-release balanced analysis fertilizer applied per the product label will work.

PESTS

Crape Myrtle Aphid, Japanese Beetle, Flea Beetles, Granulated Ambrosia Beetle, Crape Myrtle Bark Scale, Chilli Thrips, Florida Wax Scale, Lobate Lac Scale, Saddleback Caterpillar, Ash Whitefly, Leaffooted Bug, Citrus Whitefly, Sri Lanka Weevil, Tea Red Spider Mite, Florida Flower Thrips

DISEASES

Powdery Mildew, Cercospora Leaf Spot, Xanthomonas Bacterial Leaf Spot, Mushroom Root Rot, Sooty Mold (though not technically a disease), Sphaeropsis Gall (Witch’s Broom), Algal Leaf Spot

DEER

Seldom damaged

There are very few totally “deer-proof” plants. There are also, relatively speaking, few plants that are considered a preferred food supply of deer. Most plants fall in the big gap between. One of the biggest variables is the available preferred food supply in a given area. If their preferred food is scarce, they will munch on most anything.

OTHER

USES

Specimen plant, mixed plantings, summer/fall flowering plant

TOXICITY

University of California lists Lagerstroemia indica – Crape Myrtle as safe.

California Poison Control lists Lagerstroemia indica – Crape Myrtle as non-toxic.

ASPCA lists Lagerstroemia indica – Crepe Myrtle as non-toxic to dogs, cats, and horses.